Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dap Guidelines
Dap Guidelines
Email: support@communitygrants.gov.au
This grant opportunity and process will be administered by the Community Grants Hub on behalf of
the Department of Education.
Destination Australia is funded under the Department of Education’s Outcome 2.7 – International
Education Support. The objective of Outcome 2.7 is to support the sustainable growth of Australia’s
high quality international education, training and research through strong government-to-
government engagement, strategic policy and legislation.
The Community Grants Hub administers the program according to the Commonwealth Grants
Rules and Guidelines 2017 (CGRGs).
enhance regional and rural Australian education providers through promoting activities that
contribute to growth and sustainability
offer students from Australia and overseas the opportunity to undertake high quality
education, training and research in, and to experience regional and rural Australia
ensure regions share in the benefits of our $35 billion international education sector.
The intended outcomes of the grant opportunity are:
The program will award to the Australian tertiary education provider $15,000 in scholarship funding
per student, per year, and $1,500 in promotional and administration assistance per year, per
scholarship awarded.
It is intended the scholarships be available to support students for the duration of a full eligible
qualification. It is also intended available scholarships be distributed, where possible, evenly
between international and domestic students.
Funding of $15,000 per scholarship, per year, and $1,500 in promotional and administration
assistance per scholarship, per year, will be awarded to successful providers who will run their own
processes for allocating and awarding scholarships to students.
Grants available in this grant opportunity are for scholarships commencing from Semester 1,
January 2020 onwards.
Grant recipients will be able to provide scholarships to both domestic and international students, as
long as they meet the eligibility criteria outlined in section 4.
Grant recipients will nominate the number of scholarships they wish to deliver. There is no
minimum or maximum grant amount for a tertiary provider; however, grants cannot exceed the
amount of available funds.
4. Eligibility criteria
4.1 Who is eligible to apply for a grant?
To be eligible for this grant opportunity, you must be an Australian tertiary education provider with
an active registration who meets the following criteria:
A Registered Training Organisation (RTO) registered with the Australian Skills Quality
Authority (ASQA), Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA), or the
Western Australian Training Accreditation Council (WA TAC).
You must have a registration status of Current or Current (Re-registration pending) at the
time the grant opportunity opens.
AND/OR
A higher education provider registered with the Tertiary Education Quality Standards
Agency (TEQSA).
You must have a registration status of Registered or Ongoing pending renewal at the time
the grant opportunity opens.
If applying for scholarships for international students, in addition to the eligibility listed
above, you must be:
You must have a registration status of Registered at the time the grant opportunity opens.
Applicants will be required to provide their relevant registration ID/s within the application form.
All applicants must also meet the eligibility requirements listed below:
Tertiary education providers must have a campus location in a regional area as defined by the
Australian Statistical Geography Standard Remoteness Structure from the Australian Bureau of
Statistics which is defined as:
inner regional
outer regional
remote
very remote.
Tertiary education providers can include up to ten (10) eligible campus locations in their
application.
Tertiary education providers must only offer and administer scholarships through the Destination
Australia Program to students studying at a regional campus and living in a regional or remote
area.
The term 'regional' and ‘regional or remote’ encompasses all areas outside Australia's Major
cities. Using the Australian Statistical Geography Standard Remoteness Structure, these areas are
classified as Inner regional, Outer regional, Remote or Very remote. For further information, please
see the Australian Statistical Geography Standard Remoteness Structure on the Australian Bureau
of Statistics website.
o Accredited Diploma
o Bachelor Degree
International students are also required to maintain a Student Visa for the duration of the
scholarship in order to ensure protection under the Education Services for Overseas
Students (ESOS) Act 2000.
If a scholarship student loses eligibility during the course of the scholarship period, no additional
scholarship funding should be paid to the student. In this case, tertiary education providers can
reallocate any future year funding associated with that student to a different student who meets the
eligibility criteria.
marketing, promotional, and administration costs - $1,500 per scholarship, per year
scholarships - $15,000 per year to be allocated to eligible new students as selected by you.
You must incur the expenditure on your grant activities between the start date and end or
completion date for it to be eligible.
Marketing and promotional activities
Funding provided for promotional activities must only be used for building Destination Australia
Program understanding and awareness and promoting the benefits of student experience in
regional Australia.
When promoting the benefits of student experience in regional Australia, these promotional
activities must only be distributed through the following distribution channels:
television
radio
internet
telephone services.
Activities to promote the Destination Australia Program for the purposes of building program
understanding and awareness are not restricted to the above distribution channels.
purchase of land
overseas travel
activities for which other Commonwealth, state, territory or local government bodies have
primary responsibility.
Describe the nature (qualification level, field of study) of the scholarships that will be
offered to new students, and how these align with the strategic priorities of the institution,
including as outlined in the institution’s strategic plan or similar.
Describe either how award of Destination Australia scholarships will enable the institution
to grow student numbers and build on existing quality delivery of education, research and
training, or how they will enable the institution to develop new education, research and
training capacity.
Criterion 2 (25% weighting)
Demonstrate how Destination Australia funding will contribute to growth and quality within your
institution and your community.
Describe how Destination Australia funding will enable growth in the institution, beyond
increases in student numbers as a result of new scholarships, including how you will attract
high-achieving new students.
Explain the linkages the institution has with its regional community (e.g. through local
industry and community organisations) and how these will be leveraged to maximise the
benefits of Destination Australia to the community more broadly.
Criterion 3 (25% weighting)
Demonstrate your capacity and capability to provide effective student support above and beyond
minimum legislative requirements.
Demonstrate how the institution will ensure students remain eligible for scholarships,
including confirming the student resides in a regional or rural area.
7. How to apply
Before applying, you must read and understand these guidelines, the terms and conditions, sample
grant agreement, and questions and answers.
These documents are found at GrantConnect and Community Grants Hub websites. Any changes
to grant documentation are published on both sites and addenda1 will be published on
GrantConnect. By registering on this website, you will be automatically notified of any changes.
GrantConnect is the authoritative source for grants information.
If more than one application is submitted, the latest accepted application form will progress.
We will not provide application forms or accept applications for this grant opportunity by fax or mail.
The application form includes help information. You are responsible for making sure your
application is complete and accurate. Giving false or misleading information is a serious offence
under the Criminal Code 1995 and we will investigate any false or misleading information and may
exclude your application from further consideration.
If you need more help about the application process, submitting an application online, have any
technical difficulties or find an error in your application after submission, but before the closing date
and time, you should contact the Community Grants Hub immediately on 1800 020 283 or email
support@communitygrants.gov.au. The Community Grants Hub do not have to accept any
additional information, or requests from you to correct your application after the closing time.
You cannot change your application after the closing date and time.
If we find an error or something missing, we may ask you for clarification or additional information
This will not change the nature of your application. However, we can refuse to accept any
additional information from you that would change your application after the closing time.
You should keep a copy of your application and any supporting documents.
1
Alterations and addenda include but are not limited to: corrections to currently published documents, changes to close
times for applications, questions and answers documents
Late applications
We will not accept late applications unless an applicant has experienced exceptional
circumstances that prevent the submission of the application. Broadly, exceptional circumstances
are events characterised by one or more of the following:
reasonably unforeseeable
Exceptional circumstances will be considered on their merits and in accordance with probity
principles.
Applicants seeking to submit a late application will be required to submit a late application request
to the Community Grants Hub via support@communitygrants.gov.au.
The request should include a detailed explanation of the circumstances that prevented the
application being submitted prior to the closing time. Where appropriate, supporting evidence can
be provided to verify the claim of exceptional circumstances.
Written requests to lodge a late application will only be accepted within three days after the grant
opportunity has closed.
The Delegate or their appointed representative2 will determine whether a late application will be
accepted. The decision of the delegate will be final and not be subject to a review or appeals
process.
Once the outcome is determined, the Community Grants Hub will advise the applicant if their
request is accepted or declined.
If you are successful, you will be expected to start your grant activity in 2020.
Activity Timeframe
2
This may be the Hub Delegate or nominated staff member of the client agency at the EL2 level or above.
The Community Grants Hub will respond to emailed questions within five working days. Answers to
questions are posted on the GrantConnect and Community Grants Hub websites.
The question period will close at 5:00PM AEST on 5 September 2019. Following this time, only
questions about using and/or submitting the application form will be answered.
If eligible, we will assess your application against the assessment criteria (see Section 6) and
against other applications. We will consider your application on its merits, based on how:
When assessing the extent to which the application represents value with relevant money, the
Selection Advisory Panel will have regard to:
the overall objective/s to be achieved in providing the grant
Any expert/advisor, who is not a Commonwealth official, will be required/expected to perform their
duties in accordance with the CGRGs.
3
See glossary for an explanation of ‘value with money’.
The Selection Advisory Panel recommends to the decision maker which applications to approve for
a grant.
In making grant decisions, the decision maker will also take into account considerations such as
eligibility and ensuring a reasonable allocation of scholarships between international and domestic
students.
In addition, the decision maker may consider an allocation of grants to ensure a reasonable
allocation between:
Each agreement has general/standard grant conditions that cannot be changed. Sample grant
agreements are available on GrantConnect and Community Grants Hub websites as part of the
grant documentation. We will use a schedule to outline the specific grant requirements.
We must execute a grant agreement with you before we can make any payments. We are not
responsible for any of your expenditure until a grant agreement is executed.
Your grant agreement may have specific conditions determined by the assessment process or
other considerations made by the decision maker. These are identified in the agreement.
The Commonwealth may recover grant funds if there is a breach of the grant agreement.
Commonwealth Simple Grant Agreement
activities that involve contact with children that is a usual part of, and more than incidental
to, the grant activity.
A child safety clause may also be included in the grant agreement if the Commonwealth considers
the grant activity involves children more broadly.
The successful applicant will be required to comply with all child safety obligations included in the
grant agreement published with this grant opportunity or notified to the successful applicant prior to
execution of the grant agreement. Irrespective of the child safety obligations in the grant agreement
you must always comply with your state and territory legislative requirements for working with
children and mandatory reporting.
We will not exceed the maximum grant amount under any circumstances. If you incur extra costs,
you must meet them yourself.
We will make payments according to an agreed schedule set out in the grant agreement. Payments
are subject to satisfactory progress on the grant activity.
name
addresses
12.2 Reporting
Progress Report
You must submit reports in line with the grant agreement. Every six months you are required to
report on:
o name
o USI or HEIMS ID
o age
o course of study
o qualification
o campus
o diversity and inclusion (e.g. does the student identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait
Islander, a person with disability, first in family, and/or from a culturally and
linguistically diverse background)
number of students who have become ineligible for the scholarship since last report
For students who have graduated since last report, survey responses which outline:
number of potential scholars who showed interest, but were not allocated a scholarship
The amount of detail you provide in your reports should be relative to the size and complexity of the
grant and the grant amount.
We will monitor progress by assessing reports you submit and may conduct site visits or request
records to confirm details of your reports if necessary. Occasionally we may need to re-examine
claims, ask for more information or request an independent audit of claims and payments.
We will only make grant payments when we receive satisfactory reports in line with the
requirements set out within the grant agreement.
You must tell us of any reporting delays with us as soon as you become aware of them.
Your report must be submitted by the due date and in the format requested in the grant agreement.
12.7 Evaluation
We will evaluate the grant program to see how well the outcomes and objectives have been
achieved. We may use information from your application and reports for this purpose. We may also
ask you for more information to help us understand how the grant impacted you and to evaluate
how effective the program was in achieving its outcomes.
We may contact you up to five years after you finish your grant for more information to assist with
this evaluation.
12.8 Acknowledgement
The program logo should be used on all materials related to grants under the program. Whenever
the logo is used, the publication must also acknowledge the Commonwealth by saying:
13. Probity
The Australian government will make sure that the grant opportunity process is fair, according to
the published guidelines, incorporates appropriate safeguards against fraud, unlawful activities and
other inappropriate conduct and is consistent with the CGRGs.
These guidelines may be changed by the Department of Education. When this happens, the
revised guidelines are published on GrantConnect and the Community Grants Hub websites.
All complaints about this grant opportunity, including grant decisions, must be made in writing by
completing the department’s feedback and enquiry form.
Any questions you have about grant decisions for this grant opportunity should be sent to
DestinationAustralia@education.gov.au.
Complaints about the selection process
Applicants can contact the complaints service with complaints about the Community Grants Hub’s
service(s) or the selection process.
Details of what makes an eligible complaint can be provided by asking the Community Grants Hub.
Applicants can use the complaints form on the Department of Social Services website, by phone or
mail.
Phone: 1800 634 035
Email: complaints@dss.gov.au
If you do not agree with the way the Community Grants Hub or Department of Education has
handled your complaint, you may complain to the Commonwealth Ombudsman. The Ombudsman
will not usually look into a complaint unless the matter has first been raised directly with the
Community Grants Hub or the Department of Education.
The Commonwealth Ombudsman can be contacted on:
professional, commercial or personal relationship with a party who is able to influence the
application selection process, such as an Australian Government officer
relationship with or interest in, an organisation, which is likely to interfere with or restrict the
applicants from carrying out the proposed activities fairly and independently
relationship with, or interest in, an organisation from which they will receive personal gain
because the organisation receives a grant under the grant program/ grant opportunity.
You will be asked to declare, as part of your application, any perceived or existing conflicts of
interests or that, to the best of your knowledge, there is no conflict of interest.
If you later you think there is an actual, apparent, or perceived conflict of interest, you must inform
the Department of Education and the Community Grants Hub in writing immediately.
Conflicts of interest for Australian government staff will be handled as set out in the Australian
Public Service Code of Conduct (Section 13(7)) of the Public Service Act 1999. Committee
members and other officials including the decision maker must also declare any conflicts of
interest.
We publish our conflict of interest policy on the Community Grants Hub website.
13.3 Privacy
We treat your personal information according to the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy
Principles. This includes letting you know:
what personal information we collect
We may share the information you give us with other Commonwealth entities for purposes
including government administration, research or service delivery, according to Australian laws.
As part of your application, you declare your ability to comply with the Privacy Act 1988 and the
Australian Privacy Principles and impose the same privacy obligations on officers, employees,
agents and subcontractors that you engage to assist with the activity, in respect of personal
information you collect, use, store, or disclose in connection with the activity. Accordingly, you must
not do anything, which if done by the Department of Education would breach an Australian Privacy
Principle as defined in the Act.
We may at any time, require you to arrange for you; or your employees, agents or subcontractors
to give a written undertaking relating to nondisclosure of our confidential information in a form we
consider acceptable.
We will keep any information in connection with the grant agreement confidential to the extent that
it meets all of the three conditions below:
1. You clearly identify the information as confidential and explain why we should treat it as
confidential.
3. Revealing the information would cause unreasonable harm to you or someone else.
We will not be in breach of any confidentiality agreement if the information is disclosed to:
employees and contractors of our department so we can research, assess, monitor and
analyse our programs and activities
employees and contractors of other Commonwealth agencies for any purposes, including
government administration, research or service delivery
other Commonwealth, state, territory or local government agencies in program reports and
consultations
The purpose of the FOI Act gives people the ability to get information held by the Australian
government and its organisations. Under the FOI Act, people can ask for documents the Australian
government has. People may not be able to get these documents if these documents need to
protect essential public interests and private and business affairs of persons who the information
relates to.
All Freedom of Information requests must be referred to the Freedom of Information Coordinator in
writing.
By mail: Freedom of Information Team
Government and Executive Services Branch
Department of Social Services (DSS)
GPO Box 9820
Canberra ACT 2601
By email: foi@dss.gov.au
administering entity when an entity that is not responsible for the policy, is
responsible for the administration of part or all of the grant
administration processes.
commencement date the expected start date for the grant activity.
completion date the expected date that the grant activity must be completed
and the grant spent by.
co-sponsoring entity when two or more entities are responsible for the policy and
the appropriation for outcomes associated with it.
Commonwealth Grants Rules and establish the overarching Commonwealth grants policy
Guidelines (CGRGs) framework and articulate the expectations for all non-
corporate Commonwealth entities in relation to grants
administration. Under this overarching framework, non-
corporate Commonwealth entities undertake grants
administration based on the mandatory requirements and
key principles of grants administration.
eligibility criteria refer to the mandatory criteria which must be met to qualify
for a grant. Assessment criteria may apply in addition to
eligibility criteria.
funding arrangement manager is the officer responsible for the ongoing management of the
grantee and their compliance with the grant agreement.
grant agreement sets out the relationship between the parties to the
agreement, and specifies the details of the grant.
4
Relevant money is defined in the PGPA Act. See section 8, Dictionary.
5
Other CRF money is defined in the PGPA Act. See section 105, Rules in relation to other CRF money.
selection process the method used to select potential grantees. This process
may involve comparative assessment of applications or the
assessment of applications against the eligibility criteria
and/or the assessment criteria.
value with money refers to ‘value with relevant money’ which is a judgement
based on the grant proposal representing an efficient,
effective, economical and ethical use of public resources
and determined from a variety of considerations.
When administering a grant opportunity, an official should
consider the relevant financial and non-financial costs and
benefits of each proposal including, but not limited to the:
quality of the project proposal and activities
fit for purpose of the proposal in contributing to
government objectives
absence of a grant is likely to prevent the grantee and
government’s outcomes being achieved
potential grantee’s relevant experience and
performance history.